Edward a



i TO ALIi VWHOM IT MAYy CONCERN:

@Initis tstrs ilstrut @fnf Letters Patent No. 75,934, dated March 24,186,8.

IMPROVEMENT IN cAsKLABsLs.

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Be itiknown that I, EDWARD LQCKE, of Boston, in the county of Suii'olk,andState of Massachusetts, have invented-an IImproved Identifying Markfor Casks; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken inconnection with the drawings which accompany and form part of' thisspecification, is a description of xnyin'ven`v tion suiiicient toenable'those skilled in the art to practise it.

The invention has particular reference to sealingliquor-casks withidentifying or revenue-marks or labels, which, while serving the purposeVof identification, are necessarily destroyed by application of a spigotor faucet to the barrel.

invention consists in a metal ring, to be applied around the faucet orspigot-hole of a cask, set inv a recessin the stave or head, this ringhaving, at the bottom of the opening through it, an inwardly-projectingiiange, uponwhich is placed a thin metal disk, containing (preferablyembossed thereupon) the figures, marks, or letterswith which the cask isto be labelled, and by which it or its contents, or some other factsregarding the cask, are to beidentilied or substantiated, thisdiskhaving a lip on its edge, which lip, by striking down the disk, isYexpanded into a groove in the ring,- such expansion sealing the caskgThe drawingsrepreseut my invention embodied upon a porton'oi abarrel-stave or head.

A shows anoutside view, and B a central section of the ring and disk. adenotes thev stave, b the hole therein, to which the spigot is to beapplied, this hole being shown as stopped by a small bung or stopper, c.

Iuthe outer surface ci' the cask, concentric with the hole b, a recess,d, is sunk, this recess being of depth suiicient to receive a metalring, e, tting snugly'iuto theirecess, as seelrat' B. The ring is heldin place by screwbolts orpins`,f, projecting from it through the staveor head, and nuts g, screwed upon the bolts on the inner sideof thestave, the ring being thus applied when .the cask is made, or when oneof the heads thereof has been' removed.

' On ythel inner surface of the ring, and at the bottom part thereof, isa ange, t, projecting towards the aperture b. At the angle ot' .thisflange and the inner surface of the ring, is a gro'ove, z', extendinginto the l ring, as seen at :Bf The` iiange t supports theidentifying-disk c, this disk being preferably a round, thin sheet ol'metal, having embossed 4upon it letters or figures, or both, as seen atA. -A lip, Z, is'formed at the edgeof this disk, (as seen at C, which isa cross-section of the disk, previous to its applicatiom) this lip beingmade at such yan angle with the disk, that by pressing down thedislcupon the bed or flange It the lip l-is flattened andexpanded. The disk7c, being made of diameter corresponding tothe inn'er diameter of thering e, it will be obvious that if the disk be dropped into the ring e,and a tool be then applied which`shall compressthe disk down against theflange t, the lip will be drivenoutwardly and into the groove z', asseen at B, this position of the lip. securing the disk tothe cask insuchmanner that it can only beremoved by destroying it, or by such mutilation as will prevent its being again used.

To insure the cancellation of -the stamp, the disk maybe slit, orotherwise perforated,V from its centre, as seen at o, the metal intheangle made by each two adjacent -slits easily giving-way as the endof the spigot is driven againstthe diskZ the metal in line with'theslits rending as the spigot is forced into the caskthus eifecting thedestruction or cancellation of the disk. d g

Letters'Patent of the United States, No. 58,847, were granted to me,October 16, 1866, for an identifyingmark forcasks and boxes, such markconsisting of-a disk or plate of metal, having a lip turned down fromits edge, this disk or plate being placed in a recess sunk inthe surfaceof the cask, so that the lip-was driven .into the wood around therecess, when the' face of the disk was forced down against the surfaceof the cask.

My present invention is an improvement upon such patented means ofmarking casks, in that a groove is l made for the `reception of thelipot` the disk or plate, and in that the recess for receiving the diskor plate, and fthe groove fonreceiving the lip, are made .in'a metalring, which admits of the use of numberless successive Vdisksinconn'ection with the same recess forreceiving the plate.

The above patented mark answers for the permanent application of thesame to a cask or box,` orfor the applicationof a mark at a part of thecask or box notto be repeatedly usedfor the same purpose. But where 1aspigot-hole or a` bung-hole is to be sealed, some provision is'desirable by which the hole may be repeat- @edly sealed and unsealed,without impairing the surface, into connection with which the edges ofthe plate are brought, :mdthis provision is made by the metal ring withits flange and groove, as seen in my present invention. The outersurface of the ring may be used for permanenti letters or marks, asshown at A. The disk a may be secured directly upon the outer surface ofthe stave or head, (instead of being sunk in the recess z',) and it maybe otherwise secured than by the bolts angl nuts, hut the manner ofapplying :md securing it, as shown, is preferred..

I claim the metal ring, xvitli its flange aud groove, for receivng auidentifying-'disk or plate to be applied to a pask, substantially as setforth. n

I also claim forming the disk 1c, with the slits o, substantially as andfoi` the purpose set forth.

' EDWARD A. LOCKE.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS Gouw, J. B. CROSBY.

